Endless Debt Chapter 1069 - 109: Land of Mortal Combat (Part 2)

White mist surged, enveloping the surroundings as the two combatants clashed upon a seemingly watery, mist-laden surface. The Great Scythe moved with fluid grace, the First Seat adopting the mien of a ferryman on the Nether River, his aura of death radiating outwards.

This aura condensed into clouds and mists, ceaselessly advancing like a spectral river of life. Within its apparent softness, flexibility, and slipperiness lay an icy touch of mortality.

Without a whisper, touched rocks began to disintegrate, crumbling into dust in mere moments. The Shadow King was no stranger to this white mist; he understood that neither organic nor inorganic matter, be it flora or fauna, could escape its destructive embrace.

Flesh and blood would be reduced to mere bone, while rocks and metals were eroded from within. It was as if the very concept of death had been given form. With each sweep of the Great Scythe by the First Seat, more of the white mist surged forth like a ravenous tide, annihilating all in its path.

The Shadow King drew a deep breath, tightened his grasp on the hilt, and elevated the Fire Sword. Infused with the power of the Seeker of Glory, a blazing inferno ignited anew.

The flames themselves eschewed common reds and oranges, instead manifesting as a searing gold, light radiating from the sword's core like a miniature, burning sun.

The First Seat murmured, his voice laced with recognition, "Core Flame Sword. It has been some time."

Among the King's Secret Swords, a select few stood as Supreme Secret Swords, masterpieces conceived by generations of Kagader Royal Family sages.

Crafted from an exotic metal with remarkable ductility, their integrated Alchemy Matrix could be adapted to the passage of eras. In essence, these Supreme Secret Swords were rare, timeless Alchemy Armaments.

But were they truly just Alchemy Armaments?

The First Seat recalled ancient Kagader Royal Family lore: these Supreme Secret Swords were not mere mutable Contract Objects. Whispers suggested the peculiar metal, along with its intricate Alchemy Matrix, was procured from infernal sources by the Kagader Royal Family.

Supreme Alchemy Armaments forged using Contract Objects as their base material.

As the power of the Seeker of Glory erupted, this dormant Supreme Secret Sword shed its age-old rust, reborn in glorious flame.

The Core Flame Sword boasted a broad and lengthy blade, polished to a mirror finish, gleaming like steel with an elegant form reminiscent of a colossal geometric design. Closer examination revealed intricate details embedded throughout the blade, from the ornate engravings adorning the hilt to the delicate silver patterns below the fuller.

Its sharp edge, accentuated by the fiery glow, appeared keen and formidable. A single downward swing promised to carve a spectacle of fire across the sky. The hilt, encrusted with gold and emeralds, radiated both Flame Power and Golden Splendor, a veritable emblem of fiery authority and high status.

The expansion of the white mist was met by the barrier of flame, prompting the First Seat to inquire with a hint of bewilderment, "Why not employ Secret Energy?"

"Or perhaps... you are no longer capable of it?"

The First Seat let out a rasping laugh. "Indeed, even you have resorted to Alchemy Armor merely to survive. To utilize Secret Energy is out of the question, and I suspect even maintaining the power of the Core Flame Sword taxes you greatly, does it not?"

"Why... are you unaffected?" the Shadow King questioned softly. "Are you the genuine First Seat, or merely armor encasing his decaying corpse?"

The First Seat's laughter ceased abruptly, as if an unspoken nerve had been struck. He amplified the assault of the white mists, a thick, rolling fog hurtling towards the Shadow King, its seemingly gentle nature belying a destructive force of immeasurable magnitude.

Instantly, the air turned violently chaotic; lava vaporized, metals corroded, and solid objects dissolved into powder. Even the shambling corpses were caught, involuntarily dissolving as the white mist consumed them whole.

Like an relentless tide, it battered the flame-clad Shadow King, each wave intensifying, suggesting an unending onslaught.

The erosion process mimicked the furious pounding of ocean waves against coastal rocks during a tempest, mercilessly reducing the target to an ultimate state of ash, where ordinary substances would crumble and vanish under its overwhelming power.

Under the shroud of the white mist, everything reached its absolute limit instantaneously, its physical properties altered, partially or entirely, losing their original forms and transforming into dust beneath the dominion of the sovereign mist.

In this brief, intense clash, the flames were steadily losing ground. The Shadow King harbored no surprise at this turn of events; he had faced defeat by the First Seat once before, and in his current state, he felt his chances were slim.

Nevertheless, giving up was not an option.

A fierce glare was cast by the Shadow King towards the First Seat, who remained rooted in his position. He observed the Shadow King's gradual demise, as the suffocating aura of death intensified upon him, drenched in the pervasive white mist. It resembled a colossal, shadowy serpent, steadily consuming his very being.

Instead of retreating, he opted to hold his Fire Sword horizontally before him, bracing for the impending onslaught of the white mist.

The white mist, in its own bid not to be outdone, unleashed overlapping waves of power. These surges crashed forward like relentless tides, growing ever more potent and indomitable.

As the flame first ignited, arcs of electricity erupted. Power intertwined, coalescing into a formidable mass that generated layers of terrifying ripples between the Shadow King and the First Seat. Amidst the violent tremors, excess energy spilled outwards, decimating the surrounding structures. The Fog Abyss Fortress commenced its collapse anew, with vast sections of its architecture succumbing to the Sea of Mist.